FBM – Poolside BBQ Potluck

As usual, my lovely group of friends gathered for a potluck – this one of EPIC proportions.  Why?  Because we had a grill.  And a pool.  And… more.  I was going to snap a photo of the area for y’all to envy, but then I realized… I’d rather not share that photo with the internet at large.  BF was generous enough to host us all at his lovely home, and as he’s a way more private person than I am when it comes to the internet… let’s not push it.  Just know that the area we used had a gas grill, and an adorable pool for us to frolic in when it got too hot.  Speaking of which – the weather was actually really nice.  Not too hot at all, not oppressively humid, it was just right to sit outside and enjoy. 

But all you care about is the food…

 

TC really went all out this time.  As he doesn’t cook, he’s generally been in charge of alcohol – which is great since we’re all lushes – but this time, he also brought five different types of pate, cornichons, toast… here’s the pheasant, rabbit and venison country pates on the plate.  (I totally stole the idea of putting the labels with things so people would know what was what from CT’s family.)  Scrumptious, and totally thoughtful of TC as all the ladies love pate! 

He also brought foie gras pate, and a duck/pork black pepper one.  I liked these two way more personally, but all were good. 

BUT WAIT THERE’S MORE.  Sliced sausage for snacking as well!  Yum. 

 

CT brought a shrimp ceviche of sorts (I think she said because the shrimp isn’t raw, it’s not true ceviche? I confess I was less concerned with the name than eating it).  This was great – the avocados adding a nice heft to the bright acidity of the onions, the sweetness of the shrimp… I was gobbling this without the crackers after a while… 

Hungry brought her A-game – well, when hasn’t she?! – and made kalbi, or Korean short ribs.  Totally juicy, meaty, and delicious. 

Um, here’s a sad bowlful of grilled veggies that I made… and some hot dogs that got burned.  Whoops. 

And my burgers.  Sadly, though BF insisted that his was super flavorful, mine was not.  I think in my rush that morning, I didn’t season them evenly/mix the meat thoroughly, because mine was not very flavorful at all.  So to those who got good burgers – hooray!, and to those who got the unseasoned ones… so sorry.  So, so very sorry.  I don’t think burgers are my thing.  Well, some of them got extra charred because I’d been unable to find fattier ground beef than 90/10, so I spooned bacon fat onto the patties while they cooked… and the grill caught fire.  Hahahaha.  Oops.  In any case, I’ve learned my lesson, and will know going forward some things I need to tweak to make better burgers. 

Cute moment when BF and I went shopping: he walked straight to the freezer section and asked, “Do you want Bubba Burgers, or sirloin burgers?” and prepared himself to pull out whichever I answered.  I returned with a blank stare.  I had to explain to him I was going to make the burgers myself.  Don’t get me wrong: frozen burgers are great to have in the freezer and some of them are actually really quite tasty, but when you’re hosting a potluck with this group of friends… you gotta step up your game and bring it!  (Obviously I failed at that, but I made an effort.  That counts for something!) 

Hungry’s kalbi got dogged almost immediately, and for good reason.  Very flavorful, cooked perfectly, juicy… yum. 

My first plate. 

The shrimp ceviche that CT brought, so good…

 

The kalbi.  My only regret was that I didn’t eat more before it disappeared 😉

My burger was cooked properly, but aside from not mixing it properly, I may have made the patties a little thicker.  Plus I forgot the thumbprint dimple: home cooks, take note, this is the best tip I’ve ever gotten.  When you’re done making the patties, use your thumb and make an impression/slight hollow in the middle, because the burgers tend to sort of round up/ball out as they cook.  Doing that helps keep the top flat for toppings later! 

TT brought various sausages to grill, and…

he also grilled corn on the cob, which was yummy! 

Here are the grilled sausages once finished.  I forgot to take a picture of the veggies he grilled with them – peppers and onions.  The onions were delicious Vidalia onions, super sweet. 

Dean arrived and brought cold orange lace cookies, which were great.  I liked how delicate they were, crisp, slightly sweet… hmm, what happened to these anyway?  After the initial go-round, I didn’t see these again… Did someone take all their leftovers home with them again?!  😛 

After I ate lots and lots of food, I was dared to make a foie gras burger.  I didn’t want bread so I just slathered some of the foie gras on top of the cold burger.  Yeah, that didn’t work too well for me, probably because the burger was cold so it was like a hard mass of meat… crumbly.  /shrug  I guess I don’t have to order one elsewhere now 😉

Cheese brought mahi mahi and salmon to grill.  I have this awful photograph of it, and I wound up not even trying much!  Grrr.  Stupid me.  But BF’s mom, who tried some later, is still raving about it to this day (literally, yesterday, at her birthday dinner, she was raving about it… so uh, can I have the recipe please?  Thanks!).  It was definitely a hit! 

I forget the name of this skewered beef dish by Dean… these went very quickly as well.  Of course, he told us that they weren’t that good… so Hungry rightly told him he better bring food that’s actually good next time, or we’re going to beat him.  Well, maybe I added that last part.  But it’s true.  Bring something that you think is good next time, or face the consequences! 

Finally, ice cream sandwiches made by Hungry!  Chocolate chip cookies sandwiching ice cream – chocolate, or strawberry, or vanilla.  Melty goodness.  Messy, but good to eat on such a hot day.  Actually, I just remembered… I still have some in the freezer… hmmm 😉 

One more time, a great FBM potluck, hopefully a great time had by all!  Loved the food and love you guys <3

PS No recipes from me, but I can tell you what was in the burgers: lots of Worcestershire sauce, onion and garlic powders, salt/pepper of course, and… that’s it!  Easy peasy.  Oh, and the signature cocktail of the day was a mock-margarita/mojito combination. 

Mojirita!

Muddle basil with salt in the bottom of a large pitcher.  1 bottle Sauza Tequila (that’s what I told BF to pick up), 1 bottle Simply Limeade, mix together.  Adjust to taste accordingly (you may want more Limeade or more tequila, hah). 

Don’t you want to eat with us?  😉

MAJOR thanks to BF for hosting all the drunk people!!!